March 29, 845: Paris is sacked by Viking raiders led by Ragnar Lodbrok

Little is know about the early life of Ragnar Lodbrok. In fact, we do not know much about him at all. The only sources we have that prove he may have been a historical figure are from his sons. His sons: Ivar the Boneless, Ubba, Halfdan, Bjorn Ironside, Hvitserk, and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye were all historical figure during the Viking Age. If we disregard the sagas, and songs about him, his sons are the only historical link we have to this fabled Viking. Ragnar also shows up in various historical events. There is a Ragnar present during the sacking of Paris in 845. For our purpose, we will assume that this Ragnar is also the Ragnar of legend.

On March 29, 845, Easter Sunday, Viking long-ships edged slowly down the tranquil waters of the Seine River toward Paris. Viking raiders had tried to attack Paris before, but were repulsed. This time was different. This time the raiders were led by a fable Viking chief named Ragnar Lodbrok. This worried the French king, Charles the Bald. He deployed his army on both sides of the Seine. Ragnar and his men easily defeated the split forces. When the ships reached the city, the Vikings scaled the thick, stone walls. Once over, they began to plunder the city. Charles the Bald approached his barbarian adversaries with an offer of ransom if they left the city in peace. Ragnar accepted.

The successful raid on Paris netted the Vikings at least 7,000 pounds of French gold and silver. For a time, this quelled the raiders avarice, but in the coming years, they would restart their raids on the French countryside. Their raids would finally come to an end, with their unsuccessful siege of Paris in 886.

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